Mally Mall will be spending the next 33 months in prison for owning and operating a prostitution business.
The producer, whose real name is Jamal Rashid, appeared in a Las Vegas federal courtroom for his sentencing on Thursday (May 13) where he addressed the judge.
“I respectfully ask you to accept the fact that since 2014, I have not engaged in any criminal activity,” he said, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “I truly apologize to the court, the government and, most importantly, the women involved.”
Mall, who appeared on “Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood,” has written and produced songs for artists including Chris Brown, Justin Bieber, Tyga, and Rae Sremmurd.
According to court documents, Rashid made millions of dollars through illegal escort businesses that served as fronts for prostitution over the course of 12 years. In 2014, an FBI investigation revealed that he “persuaded, induced, enticed, and caused” hundreds of women to engage in prostitution across state lines.
These women were either “independent contractors” who paid him half of what they earned, or “priority girls” who would earn up to $10,000 a day but only keep $100. The women lived in properties he owned and were also encouraged to get tattoos of him to demonstrate their loyalty. They were not allowed to date and trackers were placed on their cars.
“They couldn’t speak to anyone who is Black because a Black person could be a pimp,” said U.S. District Judge Gloria Navarro. “This was almost a form of imprisonment or enslavement.”
In 2019, Rashid pleaded guilty to one count of use of an interstate facility in aid of unlawful activity. As part of his plea deal, he faced a sentence of between one and 33 months in prison. The prosecutor asked the judge to impose the full sentence, stating that Rashid had been in contact with one of the victims as recently as this week.
“I hope this really takes. I hope you get this message. You’ve just been really lucky,” said Navarro. “You will spend the rest of your life in prison if you do this again.”
Rashid has until Aug. 13 to surrender. After his prison sentence, he will face three years of supervised release.